Collapsible carrier or tray



Jan. 14, 1947. C. H. ROUMILLAT COLLAPSIBLE CARRlER OR TRAY Filed Oct. 1, 1945 Patented Jan. 14, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Carl E. Roumillat, Atlantic Bea h, Fla.

Application October 1, 1945, Serial No. 619,488

This invention relates to container carriers or trays, which containers may hold beverages in bottles, or milk in bottles or cartons, or carriers of larger proportions, and the inventor does not wish to be limited with respect to the use to which the carriers are subjected.

It is an object of the invention to provide a co lapsible carrier, the parts of which may be readily assembled and held by means which result in the production of a rigid carrier having unusual strength and durability, while being at the same time comparatively inexpensive.

It is furthermore an object of the invention to provide a carrier having a handle which is adjustable to elevated or lowered positions in order that the handle when in lower position will not interfere with the stacking of successive carriers, one above the other; and it is furthermore an object to provide a carrier which is movable above the containers so that the handle may be grasped for manipulation without interference from the containers, and the said handle furthermore acts as a spreader or prop for ends of the carrier and serves to hold them in assembled relation to yokes or bands which encompass the bottom of the carrier and portions of the ends of the carrier.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this application, wherein like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a view in side elevation of the carrier, one end being broken away to show the relation of the handle to the said end member;

Figure 2 illustrates a view in elevation of the end of the carrier;

Figure 3 illustrates a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Figure 4 illustrates a view of the parts of the carrier collectively, on a reduced scale;

Figure 5 illustrates a view in elevation showing the carriers having containers therein, the said containers being stacked; and

Figure 6 illustrates a view in elevation showin the elements of the carrier nested.

In this drawing l denote the bottom of the carrier having recesses or seats 2 in its end edges, there being a tongue 3, in the present embodiment of the invention, between the said recesses;

A band or yoke 4, preferably of metal, is hingedly 4 Claims. (Cl. 224-48) held on the bottom by eyelets or loops 5, each of which maycomprise a staple having its ends driven into the material of the bottom. The yokes, in practice, may be bands of metal whose ends may be joined, as at B, by interengaging looped ends, although obviously these bands may be a continuous piece of metal, the ends of which are welded together, such construction being illustrated in a companion application Serial No. 613,931, filed August 31, 1945.

Each end member 1 has a shoulder 8 on each of its edges at a height from the bottom of the end member which is proportional to the height of the yoke, it being shown that the shoulders are provided with recesses, such as 9, into which the yokes fit when the end members are vertically disposed or when they are disposed at right angles to the bottom I with which they are associated. The lower edge of each end is provided with recesses in which receive the tongue and those portions of the bottom at the sides or edges of the recesses 2, and in producing the recesses in the end, tongues ll result which fit in the recesses 2 at the ends of the bottom I so that in assembling the ends on the bottom of the carrier the said ends are applied to the bottom and the yoke in a diagonal position with the shoulders 8 under the yoke and with the tongues ll of the end alining with the recesses 2 in the said end. Both of the end members are thus positioned with respect to the bottom and yoke and the upper ends are then raised so that the shoulders are moved under the yoke with the said yoke in the recesses 9 of the shoulders, and the relation of parts is such that the movement of the ends exerts slight pressure on the yokes so as to make them taut.

The ends of the carrier are each provided with a slot 12, into which a tongue l3 of the handle M fits, it being shown that there are shoulders [5 at the ends of the handles on each side of the tongue, and these shoulders bear against the ends to hold them separated when the handle is inserted by springing the top portions of the ends sufficiently to permit the introduction of the handle between them, and in the positions to which they have been adjusted, according to the aforesaid directions. The tongues of the handle It are thus slidable in the slots while the shoulwhen loaded, this relation of parts being well shown in Figure 5.

When the tray or carrier is to be transported by hand, the handle of the uppermost tray or carrier is moved upwardly on the handles until the finger opening [6 in the handle is clear of the top of the contents of the tray in convenient position to be grasped by hand.

I claim:

1. A collapsible carrier or tray comprising a bottom having recesses in its ends and a tongue separating the recesses, end members each having shouldersat its edges: intermediate its :upper'and lower edges; said shoulders having transverse recesses for the reception of a yoke, the said ends having interengaging joints with the tongues and recesses of th bottom, a yoke embracing the bottom and its ends and the shoulders of the end members, each of said ends having a'sverticallyj slots, and shoulders at the sides of the slots bear-- ing against the inner surface of the ends and operative to force the ends apart and bracingthe said ends against the. action of theyokes for holding the ends separated.

2. A collapsible carrier or tray comprising a bottom having recesses in its ends and a tongue separating the recesses, end members each having shoulders at its edges intermediate'its upper and lower edges, said shoulders. having transversely disposed recesses in'each of which a yoke is seated, the said ends havingginterengagingjoints with the tongues and recesses of the'bottom, a yoke embracing the bottom and itslends' andthe shoulders of the-end-members, each of said ends having a vertically; disposed slot, a handle interposed between the ends, said handle having tongues movable in said slots, and shoulders at the sides of the slots bearing, against: th inner surface of the ends and operative to force the endsapart andbracing the saidends againstithe action of the yokes for holding the ends separated.

3. A collapsible carrier or tray comprising a bottom having recesses in its ends and a tongue separating the recesses, end members each having shoulders at its edges intermediate its upper and lower edges, said shoulders having transverse recesses for the reception of a yoke, said ends having recesses and tongues complemental to the recesses and tongues of the bottom of the carrier forming interengaging joints therewith, a'yoke embracing thebottom and .it's ends and the-shoulders of the end members, each of said ends having a vertically disposed slot, a handle interposed between the ends, said handle having tongues movable in said slots, and shoulders at the sides of the slots bearing against the inner surface of the ends and operative to force the ends apart and bracing the said ends against the action of the yokes for holding the ends separated.

4. A collapsible carrier or tray comprising a bottom having recesses in its ends and a tongue separating the recesses, end members each hav-- ingshoulders at its edges intermediate its upper and lower edges, said shoulders having recesses for the reception of a yoke, said ends having recesses and tongues complemental to the recesses and tonguesof the bottom of the carrier forming interengaging.jointstherewith, a yoke embracing the bottom and its ends and the shoulders of the end members, each of said ends having handle-engaging openings, a handle interposed between the ends with the ends ofthe handle bearing against theend members. of the. carrier, the handle-being of such le'ngth'as to exert pressure on the ends tending to force themapart' for holding them in firm engagementiwithlthe yoke. I l

' CARL H. RQUMILLAT. 

